Ray Stevens has suffered yet another health scare but managed to escape without any life-threatening injuries.
The country music icon’s recent issue comes nearly a year after he was forced to cancel scheduled performances in July 2025.
Ray Stevens is a renowned country singer-songwriter and comedian who has been active since 1957. Despite clocking 87 in January 2026, the entertainer has no plans to retire.
Ray Stevens Is ‘In Good Spirits’ Amid His Recovery
News of Stevens’ latest health crisis came via a press release. The statement revealed that the “Everything Is Beautiful” hitmaker had suffered a fall on Sunday, March 29, leading to his brief hospitalization in Nashville for a broken neck.
The press release shared by PEOPLE noted that doctors had advised Stevens to wear a neck brace for “approximately four weeks” before his discharge. The statement confirmed that the 87-year-old was back at home to begin his recovery journey and was unfazed by the incident.
“Despite the injury, he remains fully mobile and in good spirits as he continues his recovery,” the statement read. On that note, the debut of Stevens’ new album, “Favorites Old & New,” remains scheduled for Friday, April 10.
The Forthcoming Album Means A Lot To The Country Music Singer
Stevens’ new album shall be released via Curb Records, with the outlet reporting that the singer had opened up about the project in a previous press release. At the time, Stevens raved about how much the album meant to him, stating:
“I had a lot of fun creating this album, ‘Favorites Old & New.’ It really does contain a few of my favorite old songs as well as favorite new ones penned by some talented writers.”
Stevens added that he hoped fans would love the album as much as he did. The album features classic songs such as “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “It Had To Be You” as well as new selections like “Moving Out is Easier Than Moving On.”
The Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Inductee Suffered A Minor Heart Attack
Nearly a year before he broke his neck, The Blast reported that Stevens had suffered a minor heart attack in July 2025. The incident led to him undergoing a minimally invasive heart surgery at a Nashville hospital.
Stevens’ rep eventually gave fans an update about his health via Facebook, confirming the country music singer was out of the ICU and beginning his recovery journey. Although the surgery was successful, Stevens could not fulfill his performance commitments.
All the shows he had scheduled at his CabaRay Showroom in Nashville were canceled amid his recovery. A month later, Stevens shocked fans in August 2025 with his plans to sell his CabaRay Showroom.
The Grammy Winner Declared That It Was ‘Time To Slow Down’ But Not Retire
Stevens announced his plans to sell his longtime CabaRay Showroom in Western Nashville through a press release. “At 86 and with my recent health problems, it’s probably time to slow down,” he noted, explaining that selling the performance joint was “the first step.”
Stevens hoped that whoever purchased the property would “have as much fun” as he did at the music venue. Taste of Country reported that Stevens opened the CabaRay Showroom in 2018, and it eventually became one of the only places to watch him perform live.
Although Stevens was willing to part with the CabaRay Showroom, he remained uninterested in retirement. The entertainer assured fans that the sale did not equal the end of his career, declaring, “I still have a lot I want to do in the recording studio, so I’ll focus all of my energy in that direction.”
Ray Stevens Previously Faced An Emotionally Turbulent Period
Besides canceling performances for health reasons, Stevens once stepped down from his highly anticipated New Year’s Eve show in Nashville. The outlet shared the story in December 2021, reporting that Stevens had backed out due to his late wife Penny’s declining health.
The heartbreaking news arrived on December 29, 2021, via a social media statement from Stevens’ team. They explained that Penny had been battling “a prolonged illness” that had “suddenly and rapidly progressed to the end-of-life stage.”
The reps added that Stevens was “devastated” by the news and could not fulfill his performance commitments, as his primary focus was his wife. Two days after the announcement, Penny took her final breath on December 31, 2021.
Here’s to hoping Ray Stevens makes a smooth recovery!